


The kitten in the gutter

by liionne



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-17
Updated: 2013-05-17
Packaged: 2017-12-12 04:03:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/807010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liionne/pseuds/liionne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Les Amis de l'ABC were a sensible group of gentlemen. They were all pretty level-headed and respectable, even if a few of them were more outlandish than the others, or more active than the others, or more vocal than the others. But on Friday night on the second floor of the Musain, at around 9 o'clock in the evening, their meeting was thrown into uproar.</p><p>And it was all over a little tabby kitten.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The kitten in the gutter

Les Amis de l'ABC were a sensible group of gentlemen. They were all pretty level-headed and respectable, even if a few of them were more outlandish than the others, or more active than the others, or more vocal than the others. But on Friday night on the second floor of the Musain, at around 9 o'clock in the evening, their meeting was thrown into uproar.

And it was all over a little tabby kitten.

Courfeyrac had been walking to the meeting when he had found it. He had stepped over it, at first. It was raining and it was cold and he wanted to get inside. He stepped over a puddle, having learnt his lesson when he tried to walk through one and had it splash all up the floral jeans he had found on the floor of his bedroom (undoubtedly Jehan's), leaving muddy splashes all up his legs.

And then he had heard a quiet mewling amongst the patter of the rain on the old cobbled streets. He couldn't ignore something so innocent sounding, so he spun on his heel and looked. It was dark, and the rain made it hard to see, but the muddy white of the kittens fur stood out against the dark of the night.

He had stepped back a bit to pick it up. "Christ," He murmured. "You're freezing." The kitten had mewled in response. So he tucked it into his coat, and felt the muddy rainwater seep through his shirt and into his skin, but found that he didn't care. It was still curled against his side when he walked into the meeting.

"Evening gents." He smiled when he entered, taking a seat beside Jehan.

"Bit late, Courf." Feuilly raised his eyebrows when he entered.

Courfeyrc shrugged. "I would have been here sooner, but I couldn't find any trousers-"

"Obviously." Grantaire muttered, looking at the floral jeans and then turning to smirk at Enjolras, who smiled a small, secretive smile that told Grantaire to stop making fun of people.

Courfeyrac, however, ignored him. "- and I did a good deed."

"What good deed did you do?" Jehan asked. He was already beginning to gravitate towards Courfeyrac, as he tended to do whenever he was in his love's presence.

Courfeyrac grinned, and paused before pulling the kitten carefully out of his jacket, and setting it down on the table in front of him. "I saved an orhpaned kitten!" He smiled proudly.

The kitten skittered across the polished tabletop, pushing its feet out in all directions, claws trying to grasp at something solid. It's little paws scooted out from under it, and it fell flat onto its stomach.

And that was when the group burst into uproar.

"Look at it, it's filthy!"

"Is it okay? Is it hurt?"

"Get some hot water! 'Chetta, get some hot water!"

"And milk! We need milk!"

"We need a towel. Or some blankets!"

"Were there any others?

"We need to organise a rescue party!"

"Search and Resuce!"

"Woah, woah, woah." Courfeyrac yelled, as several hands grabbed for his kitten all at once. He scooped it up and held it close to its chest. "It's my kitten. I'll decide what we do to and with it."

"Who says?" Bossuet frowns.

"Me." Courfeyrac answered. "Finders keepers, losers weepers."

The group sighed. None of them could argue fairer than that.

"R, the hot water was a good idea, thank you. He needs a bath. He'll feel better if he has a bath. Milk is maybe a good idea too, but I don't know how old he is, so we might have to buy him some kitten formula tomorrow, and-"

"How do you know it's a he?" Enjolras asked, leaning forward, away from Grantiare's arm that was sloped over the back of  his chair.

Courfeyrac paused. "Hm. S'pose I don't. Joly?"

Joly frowned. He had took a careful step back since the kitten had been introduced. Because as much as he wanted it to get better and be well, neither he nor anyone else had any idea what diseases it could be carrying. "Why me?" He asked.

"Because you're the doctor." Courfeyrac nodded.

"Exactly. Doctor. Not Vet. I don't know how to sex a kitten." He said.

Bossuet sighed. "Just do it, love."

"Please?" Courfeyrac asked.

Joly had no idea what he was doing or why he was doing it, but he took a hesitant step towards Courfeyrac and the kitten, and took a hesitant look. "It's a boy. I think."

"Thanks pal." Courfeyrac smiled, clapping him gratefully on the back with a muddy hand that caused Joly to grimace. He retreated to the corner of the room.

Musichetta returned to the room with a bowl of hot water, and Courfeyrac smiled. "Thanks, 'Chetta."

She nodded, smiled, and stood with her hands on her hips behind Bossuet's chair and next to Joly. "Check the temperature first, though." She warned. "Use your elbow, that's how you do it for babies."

"Right, sure." Courfeyrac nodded. He rolled up the sleeve of his plaid shirt and dipped his elbow in. "I think it's cool  enough."

The group watched as Courfeyrac gave the kitten a bath, trying his best to rub the muck from its fur. He was going to have to get it to a vet in the morning, because he still looked a little motly even in his now clean state. Grantaire pushed his way past Courfeyrac to dry it off, because it was just too cute to resist. Enjolras watched on fondly.

When it was dry and fed and the group had settled themselves again, another debate began. This time over its name.  Courfeyrac claimed he should get to name it, because it was his kitten, but everyone else thought it should be settled by a vote.

"Call it Baudelaire." Jehan smiled. "Baudelaire's a nice name."

"Don't call it Baudelaire." Enjolras groaned.

"I think you should call him Fred." Bahorel nodded.

Feuilly laughed. "Fred?"

"Yeah," Bahorel frowned. "I had a hamster called Fred. Human names are always good pet names."

"Whatever you do, just don't call it Fluffy, Tootles or Mischief." Bossuet said. "Unless you want to join the _kitten cliche club._ "

Courfeyrac ignored them all, although he did consider Baudelaire for half a second. "I'm going to call him Gavroche." He smiled. The group murmured in assent. "Yep. I'm going to call him Gavroche. And he can be the mascot of Les Amis de l'ABC."

"Agreed." Enjolras nodded.

A momenary silence fell, in which each man shared the same thought. They stood at once, except for Courfeyrac, pushing each other out of the way as they made for the stairs to get outside. A Search And Rescue mission was for other kittens was underway.

**Author's Note:**

> How this became a massive metaphor for Gavroche I'll never know, because it certainly wasn't that when I started. And also, I'm sorry for the shitty ending. I never seem to be able to end things well damn it.


End file.
